Oxford United 3 - Queens Park Rangers 0
Milk (League) Cup Final
April 20, 1986

John Aldridge holds of QPR's Warren Neill

A crowd of 90,396 attended Wembley for this meeting between the club which Jim Smith was managing and the club which he had left the previous summer.

United had been without Billy Hamilton for many months and had lost Peter Rhoades-Brown just three weeks earlier in a nasty tackle with Martin Allen (of QPR), but were otherwise at full strength.

After a cagey start, United took a 40th-minute lead through Man of the Match Trevor Hebberd. He took a ball down the left from John Aldridge, before cutting inside, dragging the ball back past Irish International player Alan MacDonald and shooting low and hard inside the near post.

Attacking the tunnel end in the second half, United totally dominated proceedings, keeper Alan Judge's only save being from a long range effort from Ian Dawes in the 73rd minute.

United's midfield of Ray Houghton, Les Phillips, Trevor Hebberd and Kevin Brock were in total control and it came as no surprise that further goals came. The first involved a string of beautiful passes and ended with Hebberd setting up a perceptive Ray Houghton with a close-range finish after 53 minutes.

Man of the match Trevor Hebberd pictured with Maurice Evans

With four minutes remaining, yet another move involving Hebberd and Aldridge ended with Jeremy Charles tapping in from close range after Aldridge's cross shot had been parried.

The three-goal League Cup final margin still stands as a record (since equalled by Aston Villa). There can rarely have been a more one-sided cup final of any category at Wembley.

Manager Maurice Evans quite characteristically and graciously permitted his long serving physiotherapist to collect a medal instead of himself.

THE TEAMS

Queens Park Rangers: Paul Barron, McDonald, Dawes, Warren Neill, Steve Wicks, Terry Fenwick, Allen (Leroy Rosenior), Robbie James, Gary Bannister, John Byrne and Michael Robinson.

Oxford: Judge, Dave Langan, John Trewick, Phillips, Gary Briggs, Malcolm Shotton (captain) , Houghton, Aldridge, Charles, Hebberd and Brock.

History compiled by Andy Howland